Vijayawada, India Project

November 2007 India- Augustina Droze has recently completed a landmark project in Vijayawada, India. With the assistance of some very talented youth artists, she has painted a large mural on the premise of The Child Aid Foundation, a school for orphaned and needy children. The mural took about 10 days to complete and was pained on an exterior wall with acrylic latex. The mural is designed to accentuate the importance of literacy and education. Large books open as the viewer sees the imagery leap off the page. Traditional images of Krishna along with lettering in the native language of Telagu add local flavor to the mural. Augustina Droze Mural Studio had a dedication t o creating more than aesthetically pleasing murals for residential and commercial settings. We believe that art has the power to transform and should be used to help teach and empower communities. This latest mural emphasizes education in a country struggling with literacy. Future projects will tackle HIV prevention, hygiene, and other important societal issues here and in the developing world. In settings where the population does not commonly learn through books and traditional schooling, murals as well as the performing arts provide an alternative education.

Augustina garnered a lot of media interest surrounding the project in India. Please see below for an excerpt from the "Hindu", the largest paper in the southern region of India. http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/07/stories/2007110751240200.htm